Google reaches agreement with Getty Images to display its content in Search

Getty Images and Google are announcing an agreement for a multi-year licensing partnership, allowing Google to use Getty’s images in Search and across its other products. The agreement requires that Google make some changes to Image Search, including making copyright disclaimers more prominent and removing direct links to certain images.

The partnership comes in the sequence of a law complaint filed by Getty against Google back in April 2016, accusing Google of anti-competitive practices by promoting its own products and displaying high resolution images in Search, thereby reducing the need for users to visit the original source website.

Both Google and Getty Images have stated they are content with the agreement. “With this landmark achievement, we can move forward with a strong partner to deliver innovative ways to access creative and editorial content online,” said Dawn Airey, CEO of Getty Images, in a statement. Google, on the other hand, will be able to display Getty-owned results in Image Search while still forwarding traffic to creators’ websites.